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TEACHERS USE OF A DIFFERENTIATED CURRICULUM FOR GIFTED STUDENTS by Christina Marotta-Garcia A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION August 2011 Copyright 2011 Christina Marotta-Garcia
Object Description
| Title | Teachers' use of a differentiated curriculum for gifted students |
| Author | Marotta-Garcia, Christina |
| Author email | cmarotta@usc.edu;chrissy_marotta@hotmail.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Education |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Education |
| School | Rossier School of Education |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-05-11 |
| Date submitted | 2011-07-19 |
| Date approved | 2011-07-19 |
| Restricted until | 2011-07-19 |
| Date published | 2011-07-19 |
| Advisor (committee chair) | Kaplan, Sandra |
| Advisor (committee member) |
Ragusa, Gisele Pensavalle, Margo |
| Abstract | Teachers have the responsibility to educate a diverse group of students in heterogeneous classes. One way in which teachers meet this challenge is to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs, interests, and abilities of each student. One particular group of students in need of a differentiated curriculum to maximize learning potential is the gifted students. America‟s gifted students are not being given the chance to develop their talents to their fullest capabilities (Dixon et al. 2004). The problem that has surfaced throughout this study can be viewed through two different perspectives: concerns pertaining to teachers‟ ability to connect theory into practice and concerns pertaining to accountability. It is evident, due to the current era of accountability, that teachers are under pressure to raise test scores, resulting in a focus on underachieving students. The quality of general education and gifted curriculum is at risk due to primary concerns with minimal competency (Hockett, 2009). However, the GATE standards (2005) recommend that all gifted students receive a differentiated curriculum that focuses on depth, complexity of content, acceleration, and novelty. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the type and degree to which teachers of the gifted differentiate curriculum in heterogeneous classrooms. This mixed methods study consisted of a survey followed by an observation of teachers who taught a gifted cluster of third through fifth grade students in a heterogeneous classroom. Various tests were conducted and the data analyzed to determine a relationship between what the teachers reported they used to differentiate for gifted students and what was actually observed taking place in the classroom. The results from the Spearman‟s Rho test found a correlation of -.570, which indicated a negative relationship between what the teachers reported in the surveys and what was observed in their classrooms. This negative correlation may be due to the challenge teachers face when applying theory they have learned in professional development training into practice. Educational researchers and professional developers need to understand the dilemmas and choices teachers have to make when applying what they have learned into practice (Battey, D. & Franke, M., 2008). Additional research is needed to support teachers of the gifted in the ability to bridge the theory to practice gap, resulting in an optimal learning environment for our most capable students. Gifted students have as much right to have their unique academic needs met as students anywhere else on the talent scale (Stanley, G., 2002). |
| Keyword | gifted; differentiated curriculum; teaching |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m |
| Rights | Marotta-Garcia, Christina |
| Access conditions | The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given. |
| Repository name | University of Southern California Digital Library |
| Repository address | USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 7002, 106 University Village, Los Angeles, California 90089-7002, USA |
| Repository email | cisadmin@usc.edu |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume71/etd-MarottaGar-131.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Full text | TEACHERS USE OF A DIFFERENTIATED CURRICULUM FOR GIFTED STUDENTS by Christina Marotta-Garcia A Dissertation Presented to the FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF EDUCATION August 2011 Copyright 2011 Christina Marotta-Garcia |
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